Tide and wave power



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'1s-IDB AND 'WAVE POWER;

No. 455,616.. .Patenned'Jul'y-V," 1,891.

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Patented vJuly 7,1891.

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' G. C. HALE 85 '1"'. R. TINSLEY.A

TIDE AND WAVE POWER. No. 455,616.

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'To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES .PATENT OEEICE.

GEORGE C.. HALE AND THOMAS R. TiNsLEY, oE KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

Tins AND WAVE PowER.

SPECIFIQATIN forming part of Letters Patent No. 455,616, dated July '7, 1.891.

Application filed November@ 1890.

Beit known that we, GEORGE C. HALE and THOMAS R. TINSLEY, citizens of the' United States, of Kansas City, in the county of: l ackson and' State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsfin Tide and VYa've Powers; and we do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaiusto make-and use the same.

Gurinvention relatesto an apparatus for ntilizing'the power of the tide, waves, 'and motion of the sea or body of water; and the object of our invention is to provide a simple and substantial motoroperated automatic-all y by lthe 'motion of water to compress air or elevate water to a height for the purpose of storing energy to be utilized in running machinery for transmission of power and many other uses in the mechanical arts. y

With this end in view our invention consists, b riey stated, in aswinging arm or lever fnlcrulned at ornear one end and carrying a oat at its other end,which is influenced by the ebb and flow-of the tide, the motion of Waves,o&c., to rock or swing said lever and its fulcrum, an air-pump operated by connections with said lever or arm to compress air, and'a water-pump also operated by said swinging lever or arm to' raise or elevate water to a height.

Our invention further consists in the combination of devices and novel construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To en ble others to understand our invention, we have illustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure I'is a top plan view of a tide and wave power embodying our invention. FiO. II is a vertical sectional view on the plane indicated by the dotted line' :n of Fig. l. Fig. III is a horizontal sectional View through the air-pumps and the water-pumps on the plane indicated byv the dotted line y y/ of Fig. 1I., v

Like letters and numerals of reference denote corresponding parts 'in all the figures of the drawings, referring to whicl1 A designates the submerged bed or founda- Serial No. 370,206. (No model.)

'tion of our improved tide and wave power, v

is constructed of a number of lightsteel tubes b bb, each of which comprises a :series ot' small tubes suitablybraeed or laced.- "lhe tubes by b' b2=aresuitably spaced apart in parallel positions in relation to each other, 'and atthe outer ends of said tubes, which constitute the` swinging power-arm, is rigidly Secured in any suitable manner the hollow float This float is formed of alight substantial cylinder and arrangedtransversely across. the series of tubes, a'nd a hood c is secured lat the opposite side of the cylinder from the arms, which hood is curved upward andybey'ondtlie cylinder to catch-or be acted on 'by the crest of the waves, and thus assist the motions of the float in swinging or recking the lever. The inner ends of the series of tubes forming the power leve-r or arm are rigidly fastened to a rockfshaft 1., which serves-thepurpose of a fulcruin for'the lever or arm, and which is rocked or moved by the leverpr arm as it rises and falls with the buoyant float, and this shaft extends transversely across the arm or lever and is suitably journaled in suite able fixed bearings on the bed or foundation A.

D designates the water chest or chamber of the pump for raising water to an elevation. This water-chest comprises asing-le easing or shell, which extends parallel with the rockpartially incloses said shaft. The water-chest.

is rigidly secured to the bed or foundation between the bearings of the 'rock-shaft, and it is provided with closed heads at its ends and alonr-itndinal artition 2 whichdivides' saidchest into two compartments.A The' rockshaft carries twoabutments or wings 3 4,

which move With said shaft and are arranged By the use of the hollow steel tubes to form at diametric opposite positions in relation the swinging power arm or lever We are enthereto, and said abutments are arranged to abled to admit Water to the tubes in order to 7o operate within the non-communicating comsubmergc the arm or lever and the attached 5 partments ot' the water-chest and act upon t1oat in times of storms or gales, and thus the water therein to force the Water through avoid the liability of accident and damage to the conducting pipes 5 G, which communicate, the arm, and when the arm or lever is thus respectively, with said compartments of the submerged it rests upon and is supported by 75 CheStthe pil's 25, which are of a height suitable 'to 1o Tater is admitted to the Water chest this purpose. The hollow tubes can be'empthrough valves 7 8, placed in the abutments tied by admitting compressed air to said tubes or Wings, and these valves are so placed as to to force the water out of the same, and thereby act in opposite directions. Thus when 'the render the arm or lever buoyant again. 8o abutment 3 is forcing Water out of one com- In Fig. Ill of the drawings we have illusx 5 partment' and its valves 7 are closed, the trated one formof apparatus for submerging valves 8 in the other abutment are opened to the arm or lever and the attached lfloat and admit Water to the other compartment of the for raising the same when submerged, referchest, and vice versa.l The conducting-pipes ring to which, 30 designates a pipe which 85 V 5 to one compartment has a check-valve 5 to connects the elevated reservoir With a suitzo prevent backfiow of water into said comable packing-box 3G, secured to the bed or partme'nt, and the other pipe -6 is provided foundation A. From this packingbox leads with a similar valve 6 for the-*same purpose, fanother pipe 31, one end of which enters the and said pipes are connected to a commoniloat C. From the float C, preferably from 9o eduction-pipe 9, which leads lto an elevated the end opposite to the place of entrance of 2 5 tank in' which Water can be stored for future the pipe 31, a pipe 32 leads to another packuse. ing-,box 33, from which extends a pipe 34 to 'We also contemplate theprovision of air an air-pump. Both pipes 30 34 are provided compression adapted for operation by the with valves 30 34. Then it Vis desired to 95 i movements of the swinging power lever 'or submerge the float and arm, the va'lve 30 is 3o arm, and in this embodiment of -our invenopened, which permits Water tov pass from the tion We provide a lseries ofwater-tight cylinelevated reservoir throughthe pipes 3031 into dersE, which are iirmly secured to the bed the oat C. To raise the float, the valve 34 or foundation at one side of the Water-chest. isopened and air pumped into the float C 10o One end of each cylinder is left open, and inv through the pipes S 32 and the water forced 3 5 each cylinder operates a hollowcylindrical back through the pipes 31 30 to the elevated plunger or piston 10, which is surrounded by.. reservoir, and the valve 30 is then turned to a tight packing 11 to exclude Water from sa'id prevent the Water entering the'pipe 30. cylinder, andto each cylinder of Atheseries is On both sides of the motor are erected 105 connected an air-supply pipe 12, which eX- guard-piles 26, which are suitably braced to.-

4o tends above the surface of the water for a gether and extend the necessary distance suitable distance and is provided with an inabove the motor` and thev position occupied Wardly-opening check-valve 13 to prevent the by the arm or lever When raised, in order to escape of air being compressed in the cylinprotect the-apparatus from floating dbris and r Io der. The series of pistons or plungers l0 shield the arm or lever.

45 have their rods 14 formed with a series of The operation of our invention is simple teeth forming racks 15, and with these racks and may be briefiy described as follows: The mesh a series of pinions 15', which are carbuoyant arm or lever and its attached ioat A ried by a horizontal shaft 16, suitably jonrare raised and lowered bythe action of the x15 naled in bearings on the bed or foundation waves and the low or motion of the tide and 5o A. This shaft 16 is provided at its ends with the motion of the lever or arm is comm-unithe pistons 17, which are rocked or operated cated -to the `rock-shaft. This rock-shaft in by toothed quadrants 18, said quadrants beturn operates the abutments or Wings of the ing rigid with the rocking fulcrum-shaft of pump tov force Water continuously through 12o the power arm or lever, whereby said shaft the Water-pipe and raise the same to an ele- 5 5 16 is operated by the swinging movements of vated tank, and at the same time said shaft the lever or arm, and said shaft in turn gyr-l operates the quadrants and the shaft 16, ciprocates said racks and the pistons to comthus reciprocating the racks and plungers of press the air admitted to the cylinders. the air-compressors, which compressed air is 125 The compressed ain from the cylinders is stored in the reservoirs or conducted through 6o conveyed through pipes 19 to the storagethe pipe to utilize the same in running .ma-

reservoirs 20, or to a single reservoir which is chinery. common to all of the cylinders, and the air, We are aware that changes in the form and from the several reservoirs is conductedby proportion of parts and details of construc- 13o vertical pipes 21 toaValve-drum 22, arranged tion of the mechanism herein shown and de- 65 vabove the reservoirs, and from which leads scribed as an embodiment of our invention the pipe 23 for conveying the compressed air can be made without departing from the spirit to mechanical appliances for utilizing theair. or sacriiicing the advantages thereof, and We therefore reserve the ,right to make such alterations as fai-rlv fall within the scope of our.

invention.

Having thus described our invention, what 5 ,we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let.

movable with the power-arm and operating in the water-chest, substantially as described 2. In a. tide or wave power, the combina-A 15 tion of a stationary water-chest, the pivoted buoyant power arm or lever with its pivot` concentric with the chest, and the valved abutments movable with said power arm' or lever and operating within the water-chest,

2o substantially as described.

, 3. In a tide or wave power, thecombina-y tion of the water-chest dividedinto non-communicating compartments, the pivoted power arm orl leve'r, and the diametric abutments 2 5 operating in the compartments of the water- -chest, and each having the valve for admission of water to said compartments, substantially as described.

ter-chest arranged concentric with the,pivot of said power arm or lever,the,valvedabut# ments or wings rigid with the power arm or 3 5 lever and eperatingin separate compartments of the water-chest, and the valved eductionpipesentering said separate compartments of said chest, substantially as described.

5. In a tide or wave power, the `buoyant I 4o powerflever composed of two or more Series of hollow or tubular arms adapted to receive a power-arm havinga float at or near its free end, and the movable valved abutments 3 4,

liquid for submergi'ng said leven-andthe oat attached to said arms, combined with'4 a pump which is actuated bythe power arm'or lever, substantially as described. r 6. In a tide or wave power, the power ar .or lever composed of the hollow or ltubular arms and the float attached to said arms and provided with `the hood or extension at one side thereof for the purpose described, substantially asset fort 7. In a tide or wave power, the combina-- tion of a pivoted buoyant arm or lever, the pump operated, by said lever, the oat, and

the guard-piles erected on opposite sides of 55 th'e lever or arm and the pump, substantially as described.

8,. In a tide or wave power, the combinatio n of the power arm or "lever, the float attached to said arm, a pipe connecting saidy float witha reservoir, and another pipeconnecting the fioat with an airpump, substan- -tially as and for the purpose described.

9. In a tide or wave power, the power arm or'lever tulcrumedl or supported o'n a pier or v65 foundation and havinga buoyant `iioat con-` nected thereto, and means for submerging or .sinking the power arm andoat, substantially l .asdescribed 4.*In a tide or wave power, the combina'- tion of a buoyant power arm or lever, whichv `is fulcrumed at one end, the open-sided wa 10.l I n a tide or wave power, the power arm 7o or lever fulcrumed on a pier or foundation, a Vbuoyant lioat rigid with said power arm or lever, and means for admitting a 4fluid to said lioat to sink or submerge the power arm and float, substantially as'described 75 In testimony whereof we aiix our signatu res in presence `of two witnesses.

Y GEORGE C. HALE.

THOMAS R. TINSLEY.

Witnesses: p

CHARLES E. FINLEY, W. C. ROGERS. 

